Day Off Hike To The Cell Phone Curve

(My Trail marker for the turn off back into camp)

I hiked out the camper trail out past the boat dock and onto the road to the cell phone curve. It took about an hour and a half to hike about a 2 and a half 3 mile hike. I talked on the phone from around 3 until 6:30. I got to talk to my Mom, Dad, Grandma and Chance, I missed talking to all of them so much! I can not believe I have been in the mountains straight for over a month with out really talking to anyone!

 The Road signs leading to Loon Lake

Around 6:30 I decided to hike back to the boat docks to go for a swim, I wanted to jump off the boat dock, but people were fishing on it, so I just went for a swim instead. Around 7:40 I decided to hike the 2 and a half miles back to camp since it was getting late and the sun was starting to set.

On the hike back to camp I met Previous Chef Steven and his wife Debbie, it was funny running into them, because I met them as they were hiking into DCC and I was hiking out, but we didn't know who each other were the first time we saw each other. Steven was the Cook for Deer Crossing 3 years ago, and he was the chef's blog I read before deciding to take the job at Deer Crossing.

When I got back to camp it was around 8:45pm and it was a funny, but strange arrival, I first went to my tent to put on warmer clothes then headed up to the lodge, to walk into the 4 or so staff that were on and the LITs and GITs  getting ready to send out a search party for me. Which was strange to me because I don't know what made them think I would be back for dinner especially since I didn't know what time dinner would be on an off session day. It was very strange since I only told Jenny the other cook I would be back some time that night, but for some reason they worried I had gotten lost since it was the first time I had hiked the going out of camp trail and the sun was starting to go down. But everything was good once I was there, just thank goodness they hadn't actually gone out looking for me!

On Saturday nights in between sessions we get to watch a movie at night, tonight we watched Grown Ups, it was a very funny movie, I would watch it again. I love movie night, it makes me feel like I am back home. There is nothing better then a Saturday 12 to 12 day off in between sessions getting to relax, swim, talk on the phone and watch a movie all while still in the wilderness!

Sunday Instructor Breakfast

I love Sundays, not only is brunch at 11, but I don't have to cook, the instructors on that day do! The instructors have the freedom to make what ever they please, creative things not on the menu. They make things like quesadillas, stir fry, chocolate chip pancakes, crapes, desert pizza, breakfast pizza, watermelon salad, macaroni, sweet potato fries etc.

Brunch is more like a feast, where we offer seconds and thirds until kids are either to full to eat anymore food or the food is gone.

Watermelon salad, with sliced bananas, lemon juice, and basil (made by myself)

 Desert Pizzas: coated with butter, cinnamon and sugar, chocolate chips, brown sugar, crasions, bananas

Breakfast Pizzas: coated with beaten eggs, sausage, and tomato.

Swim Breaks

One of the nice things about working at a wilderness camp right on a lake, is the long morning or afternoon swims. This morning Ania and I went for a swim at 6am before breakfast to Scylla Tribdis, a set of rocks in the water that acts like an island about 250 yards away. We each swam there and back twice and paddle boarded for each other twice, since you need to have a life guard at all times while swimming.

The morning water is so nice and calm, perfect to swim long distance. It feels as flat as a pool, but better because it is fresh water and the scenery is just wonderful.

In the afternoons here on my time off between lunch and dinner I love going down to the lake to our open beach to lay in the sun and go for a quick swim to cool off. It has to be one of my favorite parts of my days up here, it is so relaxing, and I have been teaching Jenny the other cook how to swim. I have never taught anyone to swim before, but she is picking up quick.

Grease Trap Challenge

On the second week the campers are here they go on something called out trips, there is a rock climbing trip, canoe trip, and a valley trip which is a beginner hiking trip. All kids and most staff are out of camp and the select few instructors left behind and the cooks have the joy of thoroughly cleaning the place up and getting it ready for the next set of campers.

Jenny and I's first encounter with the grease trap;

These pictures are after Jenny and I already scooped out all the disgusting liquid that fills the grease trap to the brim. 

Cleaning the grease trap has to be the most disgusting job I have ever done in my life. It takes some serious work to get this thing clean. First you have to hand scoop all the liquid out into buckets lined with trash bags, dig 3 or 4 wholes out side in the dirt away from where we do activities, and pour the liquid in the holes and bury it. 

Next you have to remove all the pieces of the grease trap and take note of the order they are in, then take them down stairs and outside to clean them with a decreasing chemical. You put one piece at a time in a metal tub and pour the de-greaser in and with a scrub brush and a spatula tool, you scrape off  all the grease and food particles. It isn't only gross work, but it is dangerous and harmful if you get the chemical on your skin which is almost always inevitable because you have to scrub at the pieces, you get little chemical burns on your hands and arms, which hurt and leave burns.

When we are all finished cleaning up the pieces we take them back upstairs into the kitchen, and put piece by piece back in the trap and put the lid back on.

The finished product! Crazy how filthy they can get in only 2 weeks. Two weeks from  today let the process begin all over again!